Tens of thousands of Brits have waited LONGER than 10 weeks for a passport in Britain’s “miserable” backlog.
Holidaymakers have been urged since April 2021 to leave at least 10 weeks applying for a passport after a post-Covid surge.
But minsters now admit 1.4% of applications are not being completed even within 10 weeks.
The Passport Office is currently processing around 250,000 passport applications per week. That suggests around 15,000 a month could be taking longer than 10 weeks.
Precise figures are not available, but it’s understood the number affected is in the tens of thousands.
It means Boris Johnson once again made an incorrect claim in Parliament. He told MPs on May 25: “To the best of my knowledge, everybody is getting their passport within four to six weeks.”
The PM later changed his tune, admitting last week: “91% of people are getting their passports within six weeks”.
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “These figures blow apart Boris Johnson’s nonsense claims.
“This backlog is causing misery for families who are already feeling the pinch, and this hapless government is refusing to even acknowledge it.”
She demanded Boris Johnson end his “senseless” planned civil service staff cuts of around 20% to 40% per department by 2025.
Ms Haigh said the cuts will “leave staff fighting this huge backlog with one hand tied behind their back”.
More than 5million people delayed their passport applications due to the pandemic - leading to a surge in waiting times that has forced Brits to cancel their holidays.
Long queues snaked outside Liverpool’s passport office as families tried to have their breaks on time.
Labour will tomorrow renew calls for urgent action to tackle the backlog in a Commons debate.
There were 2.49million passport applications in the first three months of this year - including 1.09million in March, the highest since records began in 2002.
That compares to 2.3million applications in nine months between April and December 2020.
Answering a parliamentary question last week, Home Office minister Kevin Foster confirmed 1.4% were not being dealt with inside the 10-week period. It’s understood this figure covers April and May.
The Home Office has not released precise numbers of the number of applications taking longer than 10 weeks.
Staff numbers have been raised by 650 since April 2021 and the Passport Office is recruiting another 550.
Cases that have been waiting longer than 10 weeks can be fast-tracked but only if they are due to travel in the following fortnight.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Home Office is a shambles and Ministers are totally failing to get a grip.
“Thousands of people have already had to wait more than ten weeks for their passports, far too many passports are getting lost in the system and no one can get proper information out of the helpline.”
A Passport Office spokesperson said: “Staff are processing approximately 250,000 passport applications each week and the latest figures show that 98.6% of applications have been completed within 10 weeks.
“But we cannot compromise security checks and people should apply with plenty of time prior to travelling.
“Since April 2021, we’ve clearly stated that people should allow up to ten weeks when applying for their passport to factor in the increased demand, which has seen 5 million people delay their passport application due to the pandemic.
“An expedited service is available to help the small percentage of people whose applications take longer than ten weeks to receive their passports before they travel.”
